Ambassador Barrak Says King Salman’s Tokyo Visit Major Step for Saudi-Japan Ties

Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Japan Ahmed al-Barrak confirmed that King Salman bin Abdulaziz’s visit to the island nation entails grand-scale importance. Japan has long recognized and appreciated King Salman, casting him among the list of top and most influential international figures.
The Saudi royal visit to Japan is considered a milestone crossed with respect to Saudi-Japanese relations, bolstering the friendship shared between the two countries, and reflecting the strong ties shared between them.
King Salman’s visit is particularly important, with it being his first visit to Japan since taking the reins of power in his country.
The Saudi monarch and his delegation kicked off a four-day Japan visit Sunday, marking the first trip to the country by a Saudi king in 46 years.
Barrak clarified that Japan plays a positive role with sustaining global, as well as the Middle East, peace and stability.
He added that Japan also partakes in international efforts tackling various issues, pointing out that there is ongoing political coordination with Saudi Arabia.
Coordination exists in terms of regional and international issues, including the Arab peace initiative, fighting the proliferation of nuclear arms, and achieving security and stability in Yemen through backing its legitimate government. Counter-terrorism efforts are also a part of that coordination.
Saudi Arabia is the largest provider of oil exports for Japan, which relies on Middle East for energy to power the world’s third largest economy.
Japan hopes to use the visit to widen its relations with Saudi Arabia and help the country’s efforts to diversify its economy, including exploring ways to increase Japanese investments in non-energy sectors such as manufacturing, according to officials.
Expected discussions also include a range of bilateral and regional issues, conflicts in the Middle East, Saudi-Japanese cooperation within the framework of the Vision 2030, and commercial partnership with special reference to the Saudi Aramco IPO.